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Sunday, May 09, 2010

Let me begin by saying that I don’t currently identify as Wiccan. However, I do frequently celebrate the sabbats with a local neo-Wiccan coven with which several of my friends are affiliated. I recently had a discussion with two of these friends about whether homosexuality could be celebrated within the context of a Wiccan ritual. Both friends (one of them is the HPS of the group) felt that a ritual celebrating homosexuality as an expression of the gift of sexuality could be conducted within the context of their understanding of Wicca. It was suggested that I might write such a ritual for one of their open circles, focusing for example on a myth like that of Hyacinthus and Apollo.

At this point I’m interested in pursuing this idea; however, I also have a few concerns. Primarily I’m unsure of how to go about writing a ritual that would fit within the ritual framework that this coven typically uses. They adhere to the belief that all gods are aspects of one God and all goddesses are aspects of one Goddess. During their open circles they invoke the Lord and the Lady without using specific deity names, due to the names being part of the material that their coven holds oath bound. So there’s a clear focus on gender polarity in what they do, including the symbolic Great Rite, etc.

Has anyone here at TC had any experience writing this kind of ritual, whether within a specifically Wiccan context or as part of another tradition? If so I would appreciate any suggestions.

I would also appreciate any thoughts about how a ritual of this nature does or does not fit into a Wiccan cosmology. My goal is to get a variety of opinions about this, both pro and con, so that I can discuss the matter further with the members of this coven.